[Innate Ability: Contract Gem]
[Rank: SSS (Potential)]
[Description: A crystallized manifestation of the user's soul. If another individual devours this gem, a soul-contract is established.]
[Condition: The target must be completely willing to submit to the user's domination.
[Effect: The user gains absolute control over the target's life and death. The user can copy the target's innate abilities. The user can share their own power with the target.]
[Note: If the contractor dies, the user retains all copied abilities.]
Reading the first half of the description, Damien's heart raced. It was the ultimate cheat skill. Absolute control? Ability copying? It was enough to build an army of monsters and crush the protagonist.
In the original story, when the original Damien unlocked this, he thought he had become a god. He dreamed of using it to save his crumbling family.
"But…" Damien's mental voice turned bitter. "Just like everything else in this damn book, there's a pit."
He glared at the [Condition] line.
'The target must be completely WILLING.'
That single word was a death sentence.
Who in this dog-eat-dog world would willingly give up their free will? Who would kneel and offer their life to a stranger? No human would. No dragon would. Even a starving goblin wouldn't trade its freedom for slavery.
In the novel, this restriction crippled the original Damien. He spent years trying to find a subordinate, failing every time.
It was only after he sold his soul to the Demon King that he gained the "Demon Domination" aura, which allowed him to brainwash monsters into accepting the gem.
But by then, it was too late. He had already lost his mind to the Abyss. He became a mad dog, a tragedy who died screaming at the hands of the protagonist's party.
"I won't end up like that," Lin Ye no, Damien vowed, a chill running down his tiny spine.
He looked at his reflection in the translucent blue screen. A cute, chubby baby with silver hair stared back, cheeks puffed out in frustration. Anyone seeing him would want to pinch his cheeks, not bow in fear.
'I can't rely on the Demon King. And I can't rely on luck. If the rules of this world say I'm destined to fail… then I'll change the rules.'
His eyes locked onto the DP (Destiny Points) counter in the corner of his vision.
[DP: 100]
It was his only lifeline. The magic system that brought him here wasn't just a status screen; it was an editor.
"System!" Damien commanded in his mind, focusing his intent like a laser. "How many points to edit the activation condition? I want to remove the 'Willing' requirement."
Ding!
[Analysis Complete.]
[Removing 'Willing' requirement entirely violates the Law of Causality. Cost: 1,000,000 DP.]
Damien rolled his eyes. "Figures. Okay, let's compromise. Change the condition. Make it so they don't need to be willing… they just need to offer No Physical Resistance."
It was a loophole. If he could knock someone unconscious, drug them, or beat them until they couldn't move, they would have "No Physical Resistance." Then, he could force-feed them the gem.
The screen flickered. The text rearranged itself.
[Proposed Edit: Condition Change]
[Old: Target must be willing.]
[New: Target must offer no physical resistance.]
[Cost: 100 DP.]
Damien stared at the cost. 100 DP.
It was possible. He felt a surge of excitement. With this edit, he could knock someone unconscious and force the contract. It was the key to his survival.
But then, his eyes drifted to his balance.
[Current DP: 100]
He hesitated.
'This is everything I have. My entire starter fund.'
His brow furrowed.
'I'm a baby. I can't go out and farm points for years. If I spend this now, I'll be at zero. What if I get sick? What if an emergency happens and I need a miracle to save myself?'
The fear of the unknown gripped him. 100 DP was his safety net. Spending it on a skill he couldn't even use yet seemed reckless.
'No. I should wait. I need to save it for—'
Grrrble.
A loud, demanding sound erupted from his stomach.
The intense mental focus had drained his stamina. His blood sugar crashed. The complex thoughts of a reincarnator were instantly overridden by the primal, overwhelming instinct of an infant.
HUNGER.
'Oh no,' Damien thought, panic rising. 'Not now. I'm planning world domination. I don't want to—'
It was too late. His mouth opened on its own. His lungs filled with air.
"WAAAHHHH! WAAAAAAHHHH!"
The cry tore through the silent nursery, loud and shrill. Damien tried to stop, but his body wouldn't listen. He flailed his chubby limbs, his face turning red with the indignity of it all.
'Damn this baby body! I'm a grown man inside! Stop crying! Stop it!'
But the tears flowed freely, hot and humiliating.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway outside.
"Madam! The Young Master is crying again!" a panicked voice called out.
"It's been three hours. He must be hungry, or perhaps he needs changing."
The door creaked open.
Damien's cries hitched for a second. He recognized the footsteps following the maid. They were lighter, more graceful, but hurried.
His mother.
A complicated knot of emotions tightened in his chest. In his past life on Blue Star, Lin Ye had been an orphan.
He grew up in the system, moved from foster home to foster home. He didn't know what a mother's warmth felt like.
He didn't know what it was like to have someone run to him just because he cried.
But now, every time he made a sound, this woman, this powerful, noble mage, dropped everything to come to him.
The concept was alien. It was terrifying.
Over the past week, she brought him new feelings he couldn't understand.
And as she stepped into the room, her silver hair flowing and her eyes filled with genuine, frantic worry, Damien didn't know if he was crying because he was hungry… or because he was overwhelmed.